Product Description

All students of apologetics should read at least one book by arguably the most important apologist of the twentieth century: Cornelius Van Til. The single best point of entry into Van Til's writings is Christian Apologetics. Here Van Til presents the underpinnings of his uniquely biblical approach. He shows how Christian apologetics is rooted in a unified system of scriptual truth, a worldview that encompasses all spheres of knowledge. Noting the ultimate conflict between Christian and non-Christian systems, Van Til sets forth a method of argument that centers on an all-important, biblically defined point of contact with the unbeliever. In this the first typeset edition, William Edgar sheds light on Van Til's approach by adding a new introduction and explanatory notes.

Publisher's Description

This book originated in Van Tils seminary syllabus in 1929. This went through many editions and was first published for use outside the classroom as a book by P&R in 1975. Since then, it has become a classic of apologetics theory and practice. In this edition, editor Bill Edgar adds an introduction and explanatory notes.

Author Bio

Cornelius Van Til (18951987) was born in Grootegast, the Netherlands, and immigrated with his family to America in 1905. He attended Calvin College and Calvin Seminary before completing his studies at Princeton Theological Seminary and Princeton University with the ThM and PhD degrees. Drawn to the pastorate, Van Til spent one year in the ministry before taking a leave of absence to teach apologetics at Princeton Seminary. When the seminary reorganized, he was persuaded to join the faculty of the newly founded Westminster Theological Seminary. He remained there as professor of apologetics until his retirement in 1975. Van Til wrote more than twenty books, in addition to more than thirty syllabi. Among his best-known titles are The Defense of the Faith, A Christian Theory of Knowledge, and An Introduction to Systematic Theology.

Editorial Reviews

An enduring Reformed classic has become more accessible to students and pastors, thatnks to this new annotated edition with an excellent introduction by Westminster professor William Edgar.
The appearance of this edition is most welcome. Its value is only enhanced by the editors comments, which are invariably helpful, never intrusive.
Van Tils application of Reformed theology to apologetics is as wide and deep and rich as that theology itself. Because of its multifaceted character, his approach can only be grasped by reading him. This introductory work is the place to begin.

The subject of this book is apologetics. As such it's primary concern is not with evangelism, but with another branch of Christian knowledge: the defense of the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude). So, the reader should not expect the author, Van Til, to provide instruction on how to lead someone to Christ (which is the chief aim of evangelism). What you will find with this book is a biblical approach to apologetics.

Cornelius Van Til is the father of the presuppositional approach to apologetics. This approach is strictly tied to his theology, which is unashamedly Reformed (Calvinistic). This is typical of Van Til's writings, and should not be a surprise to anyone who is familiar with his works. If you want to know what Van Til believes, this is a great place to start. If you want to know how to do presuppositional apologetics, this is a poor place to start. He will not explain how to use his approach in leading others to Christ. This book is simply a defense of his approach and an attack on the classical and evidential approaches. As the previous reviewer said, Van Til states that other apologetic methods do not have their foundation on the Word of God. Unfortunately, this is a complete misrepresentation of those who use other approaches. Read this book only if you want to understand Van Til and the defense of his approach.

This title is the first one I have read by Van Til. I am beginning to understand why he is seen as such a classic apologist. His principle is timeless -- one's pre-suppositions and worldview must begin with the truth of the Scriptures. He shows why other systems of thought are flawed, in that they do not have their foundation on the Word of God.While his principle here, profoundly stated, is timeless, his presentation is tiring. This book is hard to read and to follow. Perhaps if Van Til's work had been more recent his presentation would have been easier to digest.Van Til also makes his point by focusing on Arminians and Catholic thought systems, rather than on secular thought systems. The author gives the impression that he is defending his own reformed position, rather than defending historic, biblical Christianity. While he IS defending the Christian faith, using a wider variety of examples would have made defense clearer and more compelling.This book is NOT for the faint of heart. Van Til is a deep thinker and a dogmatic, reformed theologian. I recommend it only to those people who have a strong interest in apologetics in general or in Van Til in particular.